


Furihata Kouki's Slice of Life

by SpottyPrint



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Badass Furi, EVERYONE IS A YANDERE, F/M, Loads of casual violence and a sprinkle of murder, M/M, Multi, The title is absolutely a pun, Transmigration, crackfic, crazies in love, not to be taken seriously at all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27300049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpottyPrint/pseuds/SpottyPrint
Summary: Furihata Kouki randomly regains all the memories from his past life and realizes that he has been reborn into the world of a game he used to play! The bad news is that everyone in this world is a yandere. The even worse news is that he’s a cannon fodder character who dies at the beginning of every single route in the game. So yeah, things look grim, but Furihata is determined to win at his new shot at life. The goal: graduate with top grades and survive in this crazy world!
Relationships: Aida Riko/Hyuuga Junpei/Kiyoshi Teppei, Akashi Seijuurou/Furihata Kouki, Akashi Seijuurou/Nijimura Shuuzou, Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga, Haizaki Shougo/Nijimura Shuuzou, Himuro Tatsuya/Murasakibara Atsushi, Kasamatsu Yukio/Kise Ryouta, Kuroko Tetsuya/Momoi Satsuki, Midorima Shintarou/Takao Kazunari
Comments: 115
Kudos: 208





	1. Furihata Kouki Refuses to Surrender to Fate

“It’s nice to meet you.” The handsome blond-haired boy who was kneeling before him gently kissed the back of his hand. A gentle wind carried flower petals in whimsical circles around the pair and Furihata absolutely felt like a princess in a fairy tale. 

“Fuck.” He said. 

\+ + + One month earlier + + +

“We’re moving to Tokyo!” 

“Wha- why?” Furihata gaped at his mom in dismay. “When?” 

“Your father got promoted! He’ll be working at his company’s head office starting next month.” 

“Next month? That’s so soon and I’m already more than halfway through the school year!” Furihata stood up, frowning as his stomach turned and tightened into knots. “Do I have to go too? Can’t I just stay here?” 

His mother smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry Kouki, but you’re too young to be living alone. What if one of your classmates follows you home and tries to kill you? You still need a lot of training! The transfer’s already been finalized anyway. You’ll be attending Dorosera High School.” 

“Doros…?” Furihata winced when a sharp pain cracked through his skull. “Ow! What the-” 

“Kouki?” His mother rushed to his hunched form. “Are you okay? Kouki!” 

“I…” Furihata dropped to his knees as the pounding in his head increased. He cried out when a deluge of thoughts flooded his mind. Someone’s memories- no, they were his memories bursting out in intense, painful detail. 

He had been a high school kid who loved visual novels, particularly in the romance genre. His favorite had been a game called _Mad Love at Dorosera High School_. The story revolved around a teenage boy by the name of Kuroko Tetsuya, who transferred to Dorosera High School and became the object of affection of five exceptionally talented and handsome students known as “The Generation of Miracles.” As a way to spice up the game, the creators had set the story in a world where maiming and killing for love was a normal way of life. Basically, everyone was a yandere. In his past life, Furihata had played the game obsessively, replaying routes multiple times in order to get every possible ending and unlock all the hidden characters. 

Playing the game was what had gotten him killed in the end. He had gotten so engrossed while watching a pivotal cut scene on his handheld, that he failed to notice he had veered from the paved walkway and was at the edge of a hill. He had lost his footing and hit his head as he rolled down the rocky slope. Momentum took his body to the river at the bottom of the hill and the last thing he remembered was hearing a faint splash as he lost consciousness. Now here he was, living in the world of what had once been his favorite game. Furihata was deeply regretting his stupidity. No matter how good the game was, it wasn’t worth dying so young and falling into the hellish situation he was in now. 

“Kouki?” His mother’s concerned voice filtered through the chaotic whirl of his thoughts. 

Furihata gasped, sweating profusely as he looked up at his mother. 

“What’s wrong Kouki? Are you feeling ill?” 

Furihata shook his head jerkily. “S-sorry mom I just…panicked.”

“Oh Kouki…”

He took some deep breaths to try and calm himself down. “I…I’m scared.” He said in a small voice. “Do we really have to move?” 

His mother’s eyes softened and she stroked his hair. “I’m sorry honey- I know it seems like everything is happening so quickly, but I promise it’ll be for the best. Dorosera is a top ranked school and you’ll learn a lot there and make some new friends. Plus their self-defence and kill strategies class is one of the best in the country!” 

Sick to his stomach, Furihata mumbled a defeated ‘okay’ and slunk off to his room. 

Had he been born as anyone else, he would not have been so upset about being reborn as a character in a game. He might have even been excited to see how everything would play out before his eyes as a literal participant in the game. He couldn’t do that though. He was Furihata Kouki…the unfortunate character whose only function was to stir up drama and jealousy by getting too close to Kuroko Tetsuya and get killed by one of the capture targets. In a few of the routes, his character had been particularly unlucky and had gotten killed just for being in the general vicinity of Kuroko when one the of capture targets had been in a spectacularly foul mood. He was cannon fodder, his death could even be considered comic relief because of how predictable and inevitable it was. Every. Single. Time. 

_‘But there has to be a reason you regained all your memories, right?’_ Furihata nodded to himself. It was a divine sign, a gift from the universe, a cheat he could use to save himself and carve out a new path for his life. 

Plus, he wasn’t as much of a horny moron as his character in the game had been. Anyone with half a brain could see with just a glance that taking on a member of the Generation of Miracles was the equivalent of a suicide dive. No pretty boy was worth throwing his life away. 

\+ + + Present day + + +

Furihata quickly yanked his hand back from the boy who had been kissing it. “Uh…who are you?” He asked, even though he already knew the answer. 

Startled by Furihata’s brusque reaction, the boy took a moment to compose himself. He gave him a thousand watt smile and winked at him. Furihata resisted the urge to shield his eyes. “Kise Ryouta, model extraordinaire and your guide for the week!” 

“No, I’m good.” Furihata promptly said. 

“Great, I’ll show you the- wha?” Kise jerked to a halt. “Why not? You’re new here aren’t you?” 

“I got the full tour during orientation last week.” Furihata said. “I’m already set.” 

Kise’s radiant smile dropped a little and one of his perfectly groomed brows twitched. “Are you sure? The orientation doesn’t cover everything – like all the clubs you could join.” 

“I’m partial to the library committee.”

“Don’t you want to know what we serve at the cafeteria and what to avoid?” 

“My mom makes me lunch every day.” 

“Cool hangout spots?” 

“And ruin the fun of finding one myself?” Furihata glanced around. They had been talking with each other a little too long out in the open and several students had started gathering around to watch them. He didn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea. “I think it’s time for class.” 

“I’ll show you the way!” Kise reached out and grabbed his hand before he could refuse. 

“How dare you touch Kise-sama!” A male student shouted instantly, as if he had been waiting for that exact moment. Furihata immediately ducked. A box cutter blade sliced the air where his neck had been. He tried dashing away to safety, but was stopped by Kise’s iron grip on his hand. 

Furihata tried shaking off Kise’s hand to no avail. “Let go!” He shouted, still trying to wrestle his hand back from Kise while clumsily dodging each swipe from the crazed student. He winced when the blade grazed his forearm. “That’s it-” He spun on his heel and stepped behind Kise. 

“Hey!” Kise caught the attacker’s arm before the blade could touch him. “Watch it.” 

“I’m sorry Kise-sama!” The attacker’s eyes widened and he backed away frantically. “I didn’t mean to-” 

A hand grabbed the student’s arm from behind and snapped it with one vicious twist. The unfortunate student screamed and stumbled away in tears. A stern looking boy with spiky black hair stood there with his arms crossed. 

“What the hell are you doing Ryouta?” 

“Yukio-sempai!” Kise’s eyes sparkled. He finally dropped Furihata’s hand. “You saved me!” 

“You were totally fine. Why were you trying to get the new guy killed?” 

Furihata glared at Kise’s back. _‘Seriously, why?’_

“I was just trying to do the extra credit assignment my teacher gave me and show him around.” 

“Ah. And I suppose you figured that the teacher wouldn’t fault you for not doing it if there was no new guy.” 

“Wouldn’t you rather spend that time with me?” Kise asked with a pout. 

“I’d rather you finish all your assignments properly so you can graduate on time.” Kasamatsu said. He glanced past Kise’s shoulder and met Furihata’s eyes. “You’ve got good reflexes. Interested in joining the basketball club?”

“Nope.” 

“Think about it anyway and tell me your answer next week. And you.” Kasamatsu grabbed the front of Kise’s shirt to drag him close. “Even if it doesn’t mean anything, don’t go grabbing another man’s hand.” 

“Punish me then.” Kise breathed, eyes shining with anticipation. 

“Later.” Kasamatsu growled and let him go. “If you behave.” 

“No promises.” 

Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, but grinned despite his exasperation. He couldn’t deny Kise’s mischievousness was part of his charm. “Get to class already. And show that new kid around properly without being an asshole. At this rate you’re going to be held back a year.” 

“Fine!” Kise groaned. He turned around. “Let’s- hey, where did that guy go?” 

\+ + +

Furihata’s mind raced as he rushed to his homeroom class. There were already differences from the game. _‘I guess I should have expected this.’_ He was quite different from his game counterpart after all, and he had transferred to Dorosera when the main storylines were about halfway through. Furihata had thought that simply recognizing and shutting down death flag events would be enough, but now it looked like new ones could pop up at random since he wasn’t following a set storyline. He had barely survived his surprise meeting with Kise. Even more unexpected, was the fact that Kise was quite obviously dating one of the supporting characters. If there was a bright side, it seemed that Kasamatsu was a pretty rational and comparatively chill guy. 

_‘I just need to avoid the Generation of Miracles and Kuroko Tetsuya. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?’_ Furihata took a deep breath as he neared his classroom. _‘I got this.'_ He opened the door. 

The classroom was already crowded with chatting students. Among them were a group of teenagers with distinct hair and eye colours he had hoped he wouldn’t see. Furihata closed the door without walking in. _‘Nope. I was being overconfident. I might as well just call my family now and tell them I love them.’_

“Why are you just standing in front of the door?” 

Furihata jumped and immediately scuttled sideways. “You’re in my class too?” 

Kise raised an eyebrow. “Obviously. Why would our teacher ask me to show you around?” 

“I…oh. Right.” 

Kise stared at Furihata for a long moment. “Are you still pissed about earlier?” 

Furihata blinked. “You mean when you tried to get me killed because you’re a lazy ass?” 

“Jeez, don’t be like that. You won’t be popular if you hold grudges.” 

“It happened like 5 minutes ago.” 

“It’s ancient history! And I’m sure the guy was just trying to lightly stab you. Besides, I already promised Yukio-sempai I would take my assignment seriously and show you around for real this week.” 

“Or, you can do your own thing and I’ll just tell the teacher you showed me around.” 

Kise’s expression lit up. “You’d really do that?” 

“I’d prefer it.” 

“Deal! You’re pretty cool.” Now that he was free from his responsibility to Furihata, Kise promptly stopped talking to him and walked into class. 

Furihata stared at the slightly ajar door. _‘Maybe I can pretend I’m sick and go home.’_

“Are you Furihata Kouki?” 

Furihata jumped and spun around. He found himself face to face with a grey-haired man whose face was lined with deep wrinkles. 

“Ah, yes…” 

“I’m Koji Hiraiwa, your homeroom teacher.” The man nodded and walked to the door. “Come on then. You don’t have to be so nervous. I can tell you’re a good kid, so you’ll be just fine.” 

“O-okay.” He followed his homeroom teacher and awkwardly stood at the front of the room as he was introduced. 

“I look forward to this year.” Furihata said unenthusiastically, when it was his turn to talk. He bowed and made a beeline for a desk in the left side of the room, close to the door and a good distance away from the rainbow-coloured gathering on the right. 

“Ah- sorry, but that seat is already taken Furihata-san. Please take the empty seat in the middle row to the right side.” 

_‘Damnit.’_


	2. Furihata Kouki Refuses to Join the Basketball Club

Furihata slowly maneuvered his way to the empty desk he had been directed to, carefully watching for any sudden movements from the surrounding students. He sat down and only relaxed when Hiraiwa started talking. He tensed up again when homeroom finished and the teacher left. 

“Hello Furihata-kun.” 

“Wah!” He shrieked and looked around. 

“Ah- sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Furihata finally noticed the boy in the seat next to his. He began to sweat. He hadn’t seen him at all earlier, even when he was looking right at his desk! He also happened to be the last person Furihata wanted to be next to. 

“H-hi.” Furihata stuttered, heart beating a mile a minute as he sat face to face with the Kuroko Tetsuya. He shot a glance over Kuroko’s shoulder, wondering if the entirety of the Generation of Miracles was preparing to kill him. “My name is Furihata Kouki. But you already know that. Hi.” 

“…Hi.” Kuroko said after a beat. “Are you alright Furihata-kun?” 

“Y-yeah. Why?” Furihata swallowed hard and glanced around again. So far everyone seemed disinterested in their conversation. 

“You seem a little…tense.”

“He means you’re twitchy and sweating like crazy.” Kise called out from behind Kuroko. 

“O-oh? I’m okay though.” Furihata frowned. _‘Red, green, blond, purple…I think there’s someone missin-’_

“Morning Tetsu.” A voice drawled behind him. Furihata shrieked and knocked all of his books to the floor. 

“Woah!” The newcomer stepped back. 

“That was rude Aomine-kun. Not only did you miss homeroom, you scared Furihata-kun.” 

_‘There he is.’_ Furihata thought, wondering if he might just end up succumbing to a heart attack. He turned and found himself craning his neck up to look at Aomine. He had expected him to be tall, but it was still a little surprising to see him in the flesh. 

Aomine yawned and brushed back his messy dark blue hair. “Not my fault. Who are you talking to?” 

“Hi. I’m new.” Furihata squeaked out, bending down to pick up his books. 

“I actually don’t care.” Aomine said. He lumbered sleepily to his seat, which was behind Kise’s. 

“You sleep in again, dumbass?” The redhead in the seat next to his teased. 

“Shut it Taiga.” Aomine grumbled. 

“Why don’t you just live with me, then you’d never be late.” 

“I told you I want to graduate and get a job first.” Aomine said, his brows furrowing. The edges of Kagami’s mouth tilted down and tension filled the air between them. 

“Better continue that conversation later, class is starting.” Kuroko said as their math teacher walked in. 

Furihata sighed in relief. Now that it was quiet, he could do some thinking in peace. Another capture target, Aomine was clearly in a relationship with one of the unlockable characters, Kagami. He wondered if that meant all the others were also in relationships that didn’t involve Kuroko. Furihata resisted the urge to glance at him. Lots of things seemed very different from the original game, but did that mean he could relax, or that he was in more danger than he thought? 

“Furihata-san?” 

He straightened up in his seat. “Yes!” 

“Could you answer the question?” 

He glanced at the board. “4.” 

The teacher smiled. “Very good Furihata-san. Looks like you won’t need to worry about the test we’ll be having at the end of the week.” Murmured protests rippled through the class, which the teacher just laughed off. “You had all better study hard and pass this one! Anyone who fails will be banned from their club activities and have to do remedial classes for a retest.” 

_‘Oh yeah. I should check out the clubs. I wonder if there’s a train club here…’_

\+ + +

Thankfully, the rest of his morning classes passed by without incident. Furihata rushed out the instant everyone was dismissed for lunch. All he wanted to do was to find a quiet spot to eat and-

“Hey!” 

_‘Just pretend you didn’t hear anything and keep going. Just-’_ Furihata stopped and turned. “…Hey Kise.” 

“Heading to the cafeteria?” Kise asked, shooting him one of his blinding smiles. 

“Is there something you needed?” 

“Well, since you asked-” Furihata’s eye twitched. “I need a math tutor!” 

“A- huh? What?” 

“Tutor me this week. As things are now…I’m definitely going to fail that test and if I miss practice because of remedial classes, Akashichii’s going to kill me!” 

“Then why don’t you ask your boyfriend?” 

“He’s busy studying for his own tests. I don’t want to bother him.” 

“What about your friends?”

“They’re too busy. Or too dumb.” 

“…Okay, but why me?” 

“You’re really good at math! Like, everyone could tell you weren’t paying attention, but all you did was look at the problem for 2 seconds and you knew the answer right away!” 

“It was a fluke.” Furihata lied. “I’m actually not that great at math.” 

“Come on, help me!” 

“I refuse. Your boyfriend or one of your fans are going to kill me.”

“They won’t I promise!” Kise cried out. “Please? I’ll tell everyone to leave you alone, I’ll even watch your back!” 

Furihata paused, thinking. He still didn’t think it was worth it, but there was a good chance Kise would be a petty bitch and put a target on his back if he rejected his request. 

“Alright, but you have to agree to some conditions.”

“What do you want?” 

“You keep your promise and make sure no one tries to kill me, and instead of one-on-one sessions, we make it a study group.” 

“Deal! I’ll get everyone together, so we can start tomorrow – oh! Let’s exchange numbers so I can text you the time and place.” Kise handed his phone over to Furihata. 

Furihata looked at the screen, immediately noticing that the contact information page was completely blank except for the info section which just had ‘math tutor’ filled in. “Really? You don’t know what my name is?” 

“You already promised to help me so you can’t back out now. Besides, I’ll learn it when you give me your contact info!” 

Grumbling under his breath, Furihata inputted his name and email. “Here.” 

“Thanks-” Kise looked at his phone, “Furihata!” 

_‘Yep, I’m going to regret this.’_

\+ + +

“So you wanna join my study group for math? I know you need it.” Kise asked. Basketball practice had just ended and it was the perfect time to gather the two guys who needed a math tutor even more than he did. 

“What’s that supposed to mean asshole?” Aomine growled. 

“I mean…he’s not wrong.” Kagami chimed in. 

“You should definitely join then.” 

“I know you’re trying to pick a fight, but I was going to ask if I could.” 

“…Fine.” Aomine grumbled. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.” 

“Yeah!” Kise grinned. “Akashichii said we can skip practice a few days this week to study.” 

“How did you get him to agree to that?” Kagami stared at him in disbelief. 

“I’m just that charming?”

“Yeah right.” Aomine rolled his eyes. 

“Why wouldn’t that be believable?” 

“Cause it’s Akashi.” 

“Fair enough…” A nervous expression crossed Kise’s face. “It actually wasn’t too hard…He just said, ‘your education comes first, so I have no complaints. But if you three still fail after this, you’ll be doing a special training menu until you puke blood.” 

The boys shivered. 

“So, let’s do our best guys!” Kise said, fake cheeriness injected into his quivering voice. “It’s pass or die!” 

\+ + +

_‘I should pick up some eggs and milk for mom and-'_ “Oof!” Furihata sputtered when he ran into something hard. He stumbled back, holding his nose. 

“Hm? Looks like a first year.” It was Nijimura Shuzo, one of the supporting characters. One of the major complaints from fans was that he wasn’t a capture target. Seeing him in person, Furihata could fully appreciate how handsome he was. _‘Now is really not the time for ogling.’_

Nijimura looked down at Furihata’s dazed face. “Are you okay? You ran into me pretty hard.” 

“Uh- I-” Furihata’s subsequent words got stuck in his throat when the person beside Nijimura turned around and glowered at him. A pair of cat-like heterochromatic eyes, one golden, the other a deep red, flashed menacingly. It was a look that was always followed by a new corpse falling to the ground. Furihata’s mouth dried and it suddenly became difficult to speak.

“It is only proper to apologize when you run into someone. Unless it was an intentional move for his attention?” The red-haired boy asked curtly. Despite his calm tone, Furihata could feel waves of killing intent radiating from him. The boy’s eyes narrowed.

Furihata reacted without thinking, jerking back and folding his knees. His widened eyes caught a glimpse of metal blades as they grazed his head. He crashed to the floor and immediately got up, panting hard and laser focused on the red-haired asshole who had just tried to turn his face into a scissor holder. In stark contrast to Furihata, who looked as though he had just returned from a difficult workout, the other boy didn’t have a hair out of place. 

“Oh! Well done! I’ve only seen one other person dodge an attack from Akashi.” Nijimura said cheerfully. “You’ve got great reflexes.” He dropped a hand on Akashi’s shoulder. “Why don’t you let him off Seijuurou? I think it was an honest mistake and you just scared him.” 

“I suppose it’s only fair since he did do something rather impressive.” Akashi said, staring at Furihata. “What is your…” He trailed off, an irritated expression crossing his face. He turned away, shaking his head. “Never mind.” 

“Hey kid, would you like to join the basketball club?” Nijimura asked. 

Furihata shook his head. “No. Never.” 

“I probably should have expected that.” Nijimura shrugged. He smiled. “If you ever change your mind though, come to gym 3 after your classes end.” 

“Let’s go Shuzo, otherwise we will be late.” 

“Yes, yes love.” 

As soon as the pair turned a corner and disappeared, Furihata let out the breath he had been holding and sank to his knees. That had been way too close. 

“You okay?” One of the nearby students offered his hand to Furihata. 

“Y-yeah. I think so.” Furihata didn’t take his hand, worried that the stranger’s lover might be watching and just as prone to violence as Akashi. He shakily stood up by himself. He winced, blinking when he felt something drip down his face. 

“Awfully cautious, aren’t you?” The student laughed. “Not many people are as high strung as Akashi. And to be fair, Nijimura does have a lot of admirers who have tried similar tactics.” 

“He could have given me a warning first. And I wasn’t trying anything!” Furihata took a deep breath to ease his nerves. His knowledge about Akashi was limited, since he had just started playing his route before he died. In a roundabout way, that made Akashi the reason he had died and ended up here. _‘I refuse to die a second time because of that asshole.’_

“Here.” The boy handed Furihata a tissue. “So you don’t get blood all over your uniform.” 

“Thank you.” Furihata pressed the tissue to his forehead. “Can you tell me which way the nurse’s office is?” 

“I’ll show you. I’m Kiyoshi Teppei by the way, in class 2B.” 

“Ah-thanks. Furihata Kouki, class 1C.” Furihata bowed his head quickly as he followed him. “I just transferred in…today. Huh. It feels like it’s been a lot longer.” 

“Yeah, I heard you had a run in with Kise this morning.” 

“Is everyone talking about me? You’re not even in my class and you know…” 

“It’s because someone from the Generation of Miracles was involved.” 

“The what?” Furihata asked, feigning ignorance. 

“Ah, right- you wouldn’t know. The Generation of Miracles are a group of students that are kind of like celebrities in our school. They’re the youngest students to ever make it to our school’s first string basketball team.”

“It sounds like they have all the club members they need.”

“Nah, we’re always looking for new talent. Are you really not interested in joining?” 

“I nearly got killed by two of the Generation of Miracles on my first day here. I feel like that’s a sign I should stay far away from them.” 

“Well, you’d probably end up in the group of second or third string players, so contact with them would be minimal.”

Furihata gave Kiyoshi a sidelong glance. “Are you also in the basketball club? Is there anyone that isn’t in that club?” 

“Got a few other offers I see.” Kiyoshi laughed. “But I really think you’d fit in well there. Practices are intense, but a good way to build muscle and increase your mobility. Our coaches are first class and they create training menus tailored to each player. Plus, the faster and stronger you are, the better your chances of graduating high school.” 

“I mean…I guess when you put it that way…” 

“Come try out tomorrow.”

“Ah-I can’t this week, I’m tutoring… and I didn’t say I’d join!” 

“But you want to, right? Next week then. I’ll tell our coach that you’re coming on Monday, so come to gym 3 right after class.” 

“But...” Furihata sighed. He would be lying if he said he really didn’t want to go. It actually sounded pretty fun, the way Kiyoshi described it. 

“And, here’s the nurse’s office.” Kiyoshi gestured to the door. “Mori-sensei is pretty nice, so you can talk to him if you have any worries.” 

Furihata smiled. “Thank you, Kiyoshi-san.”

“No need for that- just come to next week’s tryout, okay?” Kiyoshi looked at him expectantly.

“I…” Furihata hesitated. Even when he tried to avoid the Generation of Miracles, it seemed like the universe kept finding ways to throw him right into them. He had no intention of dying, but he couldn’t revolve every single decision he made on avoiding them. That wouldn’t be living at all. “Okay. I’ll be there.”


	3. Furihata Kouki Tutors Math and Makes Some Friends

“I don’t get it!” Kise whined. 

Furihata held his hand out. “Pass it over and I’ll explain it- nope, don’t move, we’re staying at least a meter apart.” 

“But I won’t be able to see!” 

“Here.” Furihata put the book back in front of Kise after looking over the question. From the other side of the table, Kagami and Aomine leaned forward to see his explanation. Furihata pointed out each section of the equation as he explained the methodology. 

After staring at the page for a moment, Kise scribbled down an answer. 

“Great! That’s right. Now do the exact same thing for the next question.” 

Kise glared at his page as he worked through the next problem and wrote down an answer. Furihata glanced at it and sighed. “That would be right…if you were doing question 12.”

“Noo! What am I missing? Help me Furihata!” 

“I’m trying.” 

“Try harder!” 

Yet again, Furihata wondered if he had made a mistake when he agreed to tutor Kise and his friends. They had agreed to meet in one of the empty classrooms after school. The study session had been uneventful so far and despite his complaints, Kise seemed to be picking up the material at a slow but steady pace. The other two were a bit slower on the uptake, but Furihata attributed that to their utter lack of interest in the subject. 

There was a tap on his shoulder. “Hey, can you check my answers?” 

Furihata looked over Kagami’s page. “Er…we should go over this again…you got less than half of them right.” 

“Damnit!” 

“Ha! Dumbass.” Aomine snickered. 

“Yours is pretty much the same too.” Furihata said flatly. 

“Moronnn.” Kagami drawled. 

“Shut up!” Aomine barked, cheeks turning red. “It’s really hard!” 

Furihata looked up at the clock. “We’re out of time anyway, so we can pick this up again at our next study session.” 

“Okay- let’s meet again tomorrow.” Kise said. “I think we did a lot today! You’re actually a pretty good teacher Furihata.” 

“Sounds like you had a lot of doubts about me…” Furihata grumbled. 

“You’re pretty pessimistic, aren’t you?” Kise asked. “It was a compliment! Like, Midorimachii is really smart, but he’s a terrible teacher.” 

“That was just him being a salty bitch because you roped him into tutoring us that one time.” Aomine said. 

“He could have been nicer since we’re friends!” 

“Well, this was definitely a lot better than spending an hour listening to Midorima calling me an idiot. Thanks man.” Kagami shot Furihata a grin. 

“Oh- you’re welcome.” Furihata smiled back. 

“Hey, we’re going.” Aomine hooked an arm around Kagami’s neck. As they walked out, Aomine shot Furihata a warning glare. 

Furihata stepped back quickly. He jumped when Kise patted his shoulder. 

“You don’t need to worry about Aominechii. I already told him he can’t kill you. I’m pretty sure he won’t do anything this week.” 

“…This week?’ 

\+ + +

“Morning, Furihata-kun.” 

Furihata jumped a little, but managed to hold back a small scream. As usual, he hadn’t noticed the boy until he announced himself. “…Good morning Kuroko.” He said, a little surprised that he was greeting him again. Unable to stop himself, he glanced around for angry suitors. He double-checked the Generation of Miracles and was relieved to find that they still seemed utterly disinterested in him. 

“I don’t think anyone in class wants to kill you, if that’s what you’re wondering.” 

“Haha...the day’s off to a good start then.” He sighed and slumped into his seat. He touched the band aid on the side of his forehead. 

“Really? Isn’t it kind of refreshing when you finish a fight? It’s like…the feeling of crossing off something annoying from a to-do list. Don’t you think so, Tetsu-kun?” A strikingly beautiful pink haired girl joined their conversation. Furihata blinked rapidly when she wrapped her arms around Kuroko’s neck and fully leaned on his back. More than a few other students threw envious looks at him. Perhaps because he was used to it, Kuroko seemed completely unaffected.

 _‘The protagonist of a BL game, who could literally have a harem of hot men at his feet…ended up with a female supporting character…amazing.’_ Furihata grinned. 

“Hm…that depends. It does feel like an annoying chore most of the time.” Kuroko said. He glanced down and traced a small, thin scabbed over line on the back of Momoi’s hand. His fingers followed the line, pushing up her uniform jacket sleeve a little until he reached the end of the cut. “Who did this, Satsuki-san?” The air around him seemed to chill. His face was still characteristically blank, but there seemed to be a shadow cast over his light blue eyes. 

“Ah…some stupid boy wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was tougher than I thought, but not very smart.” 

Kuroko’s expression relaxed. “A lot of people aren’t very smart compared to you.” 

She giggled. “You’re so sweet.” 

“It’s simply the truth.” He ran a fingernail over the healing scab on her arm, drawing blood. Momoi drew in a sharp breath. She sighed when Kuroko gently kissed her wound. “I need to be more diligent about exterminating bugs before they try to sting you.” He took out a band aid from his desk and gently applied it to the cut. 

“As long as you’re with me, I can handle anything.” Momoi said softly, using her thumb to wipe the smudge of red on Kuroko’s mouth. 

_‘Wauhh I don’t remember Kuroko being that crazy in the game. I should be careful of him too.’_ Furihata was about to face the front since the two seemed to be in their own world, when the girl looked him. She stared a touch too long, making Furihata feel like he was being analyzed. “My name is Momoi Satsuki by the way. It’s nice to meet you, Furihata-kun.” 

“Nice to meet you too.” _‘It’s another difference from the game.’_ Momoi Satsuki’s sole function in the game had been to help advance the plot by providing useful advice to Kuroko. Her dialogue doubled as strong hints or straight up instructions to the player on how to move forward in the game. As a result, she had been little more than a pretty cardboard cut-out. _‘I guess it can’t be helped, but the supporting characters were really just pieces of furniture in the original storylines.’_ As a fellow supporting character, Furihata was glad they could have their own lives in this version of the world. 

“Yo Tetsu. Satsuki. Being all lovey dovey in the morning again?”

“Of course!” Momoi said cheerfully. “Everyone needs to recharge somehow.”

“Ugh, you two are disgusting.” 

“Good morning Aomine-kun. Late as always.” 

“Well, unlike you, I don’t have someone ready to flash their panties at me the second I walk in through the door.” 

“Dai-chan!” Satsuki scolded. Aomine opened his mouth to respond, only to jerk back, barely missing a pencil getting jabbed into his eye socket. 

“God damn it Tetsu! You could have taken out my eye!” 

“Don’t talk about Satsuki-san like that then.” The icy glint in Kuroko’s eyes betrayed his anger despite his calm voice. 

“Kuroko…” Kagami was already up and glaring at the boy. Momoi had straightened up as well, and had her hands in her jacket pockets. 

_‘Fuuuuuuck-’_ Had he been a safe distance away, Furihata might have been fascinated by what was happening. At the moment though, he was literally sitting a centimeter away from the brewing storm and with his luck, he would probably end up with an eraser lodged in his skull. He had to diffuse the situation fast since everyone else was just looking on in interest. 

Readying a textbook in case he needed a shield, Furihata spoke up. “Did you two finish your homework?” 

All the heads in the room turned to him. 

“…What homework?”  
“Homework?” 

Aomine and Kagami asked simultaneously. And just like that, the dangerous hum in the air dispersed and everyone went back to what they had been doing before the fight nearly started. 

“Y-yeah. We spent a lot of time doing math, so I was wondering if you had time doing the rest of your assignments.” 

“Oh, I’ll just copy off Tetsu or Satsuki later.” Aomine waved the matter off. “I thought you meant for math.” 

“Daiki…” 

“Yeah, you can copy off me too.” He told Kagami. 

“This is why both of your grades are so terrible!” Momoi shook her head. “If Furihata-kun hasn’t quit being your tutor already, he must have a saint level of patience.” 

“They’re making progress though.” Furihata said, not bothering to deny Momoi’s comment. He wasn’t going to reject a compliment he totally deserved! 

“I hope you’re right. Otherwise, we’ll have 3 less players in our first string team.” Kuroko said. 

“Don’t remind me.” Kagami groaned. “Just imagining what will happen if we fail is terrifying…”

“Let’s not then.” Aomine said, as the teacher walked in to start class. 

\+ + +

When Thursday’s tutoring session rolled around, Furihata was greeted with an array of snacks the moment he walked into the classroom they had agreed to meet in. 

“What’s all this?” 

“Fuel.” Kagami said. “I was starving the last time we did this.” 

“You’re always starving.” Kise said. “But it’s still a good idea. Grab whatever you want Furihata, it’s for all of us to share.”

“You sure?” Furihata asked, staring at Kagami who was tearing through the snacks like a garbage disposal. Next to him, Aomine just picked off snacks from the edges of the pile, as if weary that his hand might accidentally get snatched up and eaten. 

“Ah, don’t mind him, this is normal.” Kise explained. 

“Is it though?” Furihata mumbled as he unpacked his stuff. 

“So there’s a rumor going around that you’re trying out for the basketball team next week.” Kise said. 

“Really?” Kagami paused. “What position do you play?”

“No idea. I’ve never played seriously before. I’m just trying out because Kiyoshi-san said I should.” 

“Really? He must have seen some potential in you.” Kise said. “Ah- wait, I remember now! You’re really quick on your feet. Did someone try to kill you again?” 

“Again? Dude, it’s only been 4 days.” Kagami said. “If you’re looking for someone to date, a lot of our classmates are single.” 

“I wasn’t hitting on anyone.” Furihata sighed. “First, this guy tried to get me killed because he didn’t want to show me around.” He pointed at Kise. 

“But we’re cool now right?” 

He ignored him. “And then later on the same day, that psycho Akashi tried to stab me in the face with his scissors ‘cause I accidentally bumped into his boyfriend.” 

The room suddenly became silent and Furihata became aware of 3 sets of wide eyes staring at him. “…What?” 

“It can’t be…” Aomine murmured. 

“There’s no way, right?” Kagami shook his head. 

“How are you still alive?” Kise squeaked. 

“I dodged.” 

“But it’s Akashi. He has like a 99.99% hit rate.”

“Come on, no one is that good.” Furihata scoffed. “He’s just so scary that it makes people think things like that.” 

“No, seriously.” Aomine said. “The only other person that’s survived an attack from Akashi is Taiga, and we’re all pretty sure that was because he wasn’t really trying to kill him.”

“Maybe I was just faster than him that day…you’re making me sound lame.” Kagami grumbled. 

“Come on babe, you know what I meant. If it was anyone else, they would be dead.”

“Now I’m kinda excited to see what you can do.” Kise said. 

“Other than stopping the ball from hitting my face, not much.” 

“You should have more confidence in yourself.” Kise poked Furihata’s cheek until he slapped it away. “Your face might be average, but I can tell you’re pretty fit.” 

“What was that about my face?” 

“Average is good! It’s not ugly! And if you have a good body, your looks aren’t as important. It was a compliment!” 

“Uh huh.” Furihata grabbed a packaged cookie off the table and pointed at Kise’s exercise book. “How about fewer bad compliments and more math.”

“You’re not mad are you?” 

“I’m not.” 

“You sure?” Kise studied his face. 

“Do you want me to be?” 

“No! I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt your feelings.” 

Furihata stared at Kise, then snickered. “Really?”

“I’m serious!” 

“It’s really fine, it didn’t bother me.” 

“That’s good.” Kise sighed. 

“Why?” 

“Cause we’re friends!” 

Furihata blanked for a moment as he absorbed the statement. “…We’re what?” 

“Don’t be mean!” 

“No, I wasn’t trying to be…just…what?” 

“Awkwarddd.” Aomine said. 

“You don’t consider us friends?” Kise asked, looking hurt. 

“We’ve literally only known each other for 4 days.” 

“It’s quality over quantity when it comes to friendship. Besides, why wouldn’t you want to be our friend?” 

“I get why you wouldn’t be Kise’s friend-” Kagami said. 

“Hey!” Kise yelped. 

“But I’ve always been nice to you.” Kagami pointed out. 

“I’m fine if you don’t want to be my friend.” Aomine said. 

“Shut up asshole. We’re a package deal.” 

Furihata opened his mouth, then shut it again when he realized he had no idea how to respond. With the pressure of everyone’s eyes on him, he finally decided on, “Um…I’m not saying I don’t want to be friends, it’s just-”

“Then it’s settled! We’re friends!” Kise interrupted cheerfully. 

“…Okay.” Furihata said, feeling like he had just been run over by a truck. Though that was probably a normal experience when hanging out with Kise. _‘He’s still a dick, but…’_ If Furihata was being honest…he was a little happy. He coughed. “We should start on our math homework now.” 

“Aww, Furihata, are you feeling shy?”

“You wanna fail?” 

“Okay fine!” Kise pouted as he opened his textbook. 

Furihata only managed to hold his stern expression for a few seconds before a smile broke out on his face.


	4. Furihata Kouki Joins the Basketball Club

“I passed!” Kise cheered, waving his test paper around. He skipped to Furihata’s desk. “No remedial tests!” 

“Same here. We owe you one, Furi.” Kagami said. He elbowed Aomine who rolled his eyes before addressing Furihata. 

“Thanks.” 

_‘I guess I’m getting a nickname.’_ Furihata inwardly shrugged. It was kind of sweet. 

“You guys owe him a million.” Momoi said. “Even Midorin couldn’t put a single equation into those basketball brains.”

“He didn’t even try.” Kise stuck his tongue out at the green haired student with glasses, sitting by the window. “Oh, by the way Furihatachii, you’re signing up for the basketball club today right?” 

“Yeah. What’s with the chii?” 

“That’s great Furihata-kun.” Kuroko smiled at him. “That means Kise-kun respects you.” 

“Wait- you didn’t respect me before?” 

“What position do you want to play?” Kise asked loudly, steamrolling through his last question. 

Furihata’s eyebrow twitched. “…Not sure. I’m just going in for the tryout, but I don’t know if I’m going to join.” 

“You should join! We have multiple teams at our school, separated by skill level and potential, so there’s a mix of beginners and pros in our club. Practice can be rough, but if you’re willing to commit, you’ll be hanging out with some of the best people in this school.” Kise winked. “Like me!” 

“I thought you were trying to sell Furi on the idea, not scare him away.” Kagami said. 

“Hey!” 

Furihata snickered. “I guess…that could be fun.” 

“It is! That’s why you should join, even if you suck.” 

“Thanks Kise?” 

“I’m saying I want you to be in the same club as me because we’re friends!”

Furihata grinned. “We won’t even be on the same team…but that’s probably a good thing.”

“What do you mean by that?” Kise pouted. 

“The Generation of Miracles are bratty little monsters.” Momoi said immediately. “Everyone knows that.”

“Satsuki-san…”

“You’re the bratty little monster I love.” Momoi giggled at Kuroko. “The rest of you are just impossible most of the time. But don’t worry Furirin! Everyone else is really nice and normal.” 

\+ + +

“Take off your shirt!” A petite girl with short brown hair demanded. 

“W-what? Now? Why?” Furihata squawked, voice getting progressively higher as he spoke. His eyes darted to the closest exit. “Do I have to? Again, _why?”_

Kiyoshi laughed. “You should explain yourself before asking someone to strip for you, Riko.”

The girl huffed in annoyance, but explained, “I just want to check your potential.” 

“This is Aida Riko. She’s coaches the third string players, but she has a hand in everyone’s training regimen because of her expertise in kinesiology.” Kiyoshi said. “It may sound a little strange, but she can really see a map of your abilities by looking at your body.” 

_‘I thought that was just a bullshit ability granted by the game to create opportunities for fanservice! Why would the real Aida Riko have that weird superpower? Does everyone have superpowers and I just missed it?’_ Furihata quietly had a meltdown. “…Okay.” He shuffled awkwardly for a moment then took off his shirt. 

Aida nodded and she looked him over. “Not bad at all. You can go join the others for drills and I’ll let you know which string you’ll be in.” 

“Well, what do you think?” Kiyoshi asked after Furihata left. 

“Hmm…he’s obviously a beginner…” Aida said as she watched Furihata clumsily follow the drills. “But he’s definitely got potential. He has great reflexes and stamina, which we can keep building up. I’ve got no complaints.”

“Good enough to join the second string one day?” 

“With some training, maybe. You seem pretty eager about this one.” 

“He survived a surprise greeting from Akashi.” 

“What, really?” Aida gasped. She studied Furihata again as he ran across the gym. “I don’t see a pro in the making, but maybe he has a bit of that wild instinct some of our star players have?” 

“Only one way to find out.” 

Aida sighed. “He’s definitely not going into the second string until his skills improve, but if he really works at it, there’s no reason why it can’t happen.” 

\+ + +

After warmup drills, everyone was split up into teams of five to play against each other. Furihata was placed on a team with Kasamatsu, Koganei, Kawahara and Otsubo. Playing against them was Akashi, Mitobe, Sakurai, Fukuda and Tsuchida. 

_‘What did I do to deserve this?’_ Furihata wondered when he found himself staring at Akashi across the court. 

“Hey, loosen up. It’s only a practice match.” Kasamatsu said. “Be glad we’re not dealing with the other one.” 

“O-okay?” Furihata squeaked, tensing up even more. _‘Other one?’_

“It’s Akashi, isn’t it?” Koganei Shinji whispered. The second year student had wide mischievous eyes and a thin mouth that curved up a little at the ends, which gave him a cat-like face. “He’s always like that…you get used to it.”

“How?” Furihata hissed. 

“It’s like being out in the cold…after a while, you just get numb to it.” 

“I’ll be marking him anyway. You guard the nervous guy on their team.” Kasamatsu said. 

Furihata looked at the trembling brown haired boy. “Okay.” 

“It’s like looking in a mirror.” Koganei giggled. 

“Make sure you stay on him.” Kasamatsu said. “He may look like a pushover, but his shooting ability is no joke.” 

“I’ll try.” 

The club’s three coaches and respective team managers were standing on the sidelines to watch. With pen and clipboard in hand, Aida stepped forward. “It may be a practice match, but you guys had better be giving it your all to win!” Once everyone was in position, she blew her whistle to start the match. 

Otsubo won the jump off against Mitobe and tapped the ball to Kasamatsu. 

“Go Yukio-sempai!” Kise cheered from the sidelines. “Kick Akashichii’s ass!” 

“Keep your winning streak going Seijuurou!” Nijimura called out cheerfully beside Kise. “It’s only the captain of the second string team.” 

“You mean the guy who wiped the floor with you at the last practice match?” Kise asked sweetly. 

Nijimura’s smile stiffened. “Oh, there’s no doubt Kasamatsu is a talented player…but he’s far from Seijuurou’s level.” 

“Akashichii may be a genius on the court, but we all know he lacks Yukio-sempai’s maturity and manliness.” 

“Ah, is that why Kasamatsu is so good at dealing with children?” Nijimura looked pointedly at Kise. 

“Ah- mean!” Unable to think of a better comeback, Kise huffed angrily and returned to watching the game. 

As the game progressed, Akashi’s team steadily gained the advantage over their opponents. 

“Don’t slack off!” Kasamatsu barked to everyone. He passed the ball to Furihata. Surprised by the speed of the throw, he fumbled the catch. Mitobe swiped the ball from him when it bounced up and passed it to Sakurai, who apologized for the steal as he scored a three pointer. 

“Shake it off.” Koganei slapped Furihata’s back. “Mitobe’s a pro at intercepting passes.” 

“Right.” Furihata wiped the sweat from his brow. He still wasn’t sure if he was particularly interested in basketball, but he had to admit that it was nice feeling like he was part of a team. That and… Furihata cast a discreet eye around the gym. Being in a gym full of fit and attractive guys wasn’t the worst way to spend his afternoons. 

“Keep your head in the game, first year!” 

Furihata blinked and refocused. It turned out that the comment had been directed at Kawahara, who noticed too late that the ball had been passed to him. 

“Woah!” Kawahara winced when the ball slid past his hands and hit his chest. He stumbled back and flailed as he tried to regain his balance.

Furihata hopped sideways to avoid getting slapped by one of Kawahara’s wayward arms. Unfortunately, Akashi was standing exactly where Furihata landed and both ended up crashing to the ground. 

With Furihata on top of Akashi. 

For a long frozen moment, their noses were touching and Furihata was mesmerized by the red of Akashi’s eyes. _‘So beautiful. Wait, wasn’t one a different-’_ Furihata blanched when realization struck him. _‘Fuck fuck fuck fuck oh fuckkkk!’_ He knew without looking, that someone in a homicidal rage was rushing over. He shoved himself off of Akashi and spun around. As expected, Nijimura was right behind him with his fist pulled back. 

“Wait, wait- wah!” Furihata darted out of the way of Nijimura’s first punch, panicking even more when he felt the wind from the swing. _‘Scary! Is he trying to crack my skull open?’_ He vaguely heard some ‘oohs’ from around the gym. 

“Was Akashi your real target from the beginning?” Nijimura asked. “Or are you just desperate?” 

“No! It was an accident - both times were! Everyone who was watching can vouch for me, even you- eek!” Furihata lunged out of reach when Nijimura tried to grab him. “Woah! Can you please stop so we can talk about what happened?” Furihata babbled as he continued to dance out of his reach. “It seriously was an accident and I know it seems like a weird coincidence after I bumped into you last week - argh not my face! But I’m seriously not interested in either of you, not that there’s anything wrong with you guys - except for the fact you keep trying to kill me, but I don’t want any trouble, so please stop already!” 

To Furihata’s great relief, Nijimura finally stopped going after him. He didn’t even look mad anymore, just mildly surprised. “Looks like it really wasn’t just a fluke before.” 

“Nice moves Furihata!” Aida appeared behind him, with her eyes sparkling. “If you could incorporate those movements into your dribbling, you could be a real contender on the court!” She glanced at Nijimura. “Have you cooled off after chasing Furihata all over the gym?” 

“Yes, I’m fine now.” He said. “I’ll back off since it’s not even worth it.” 

Furihata sighed. He looked around until he spotted Akashi. “I’m sorry about falling on you. It was an accident.” 

“No harm done.” Akashi said.

_‘Harm was almost done to me!’_ Furihata inwardly griped. He pulled a tight smile. “Great.” 

“You’re even more impressive than I thought. I'm glad you were quicker than my brother.” 

“Your brother…?” Furihata frowned in confusion. He was pretty sure Akashi and Nijimura weren’t related, especially since they were dating. He briefly considered asking what Akashi meant, but he was distracted when Kawahara ran over, looking ashamed. 

“Furihata! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“I’m so sorry. I should have told Nijimura-sempai that it was my fault.” 

“No, it’s okay.” Furihata said quickly. “Nothing happened so don’t worry about it.” 

“If you say so… then I gotta say – that was amazing dude!” Kawahara grinned. “Nijimura-sempai couldn’t land a single hit! It was like watching a protagonist from a shounen manga!” 

Furihata laughed. “I doubt I looked that cool, but thanks for the compliment.” 

“Okay guys, switch off!” 

“Good game.” Akashi said. 

“I’ll beat you next time.” Kasamatsu said sullenly. “And when I do win, you’ll start using honorifics when you address your seniors.” 

“I look forward to your next attempt, Kasamatsu.” Akashi smirked. 

“Cocky first year!” Kasamatsu grumbled without any real heat in his voice. Despite his disappointment, he couldn’t help but respect and admire Akashi’s skill. 

The rest of practice progressed without incident. Furihata had hoped to see some more of the miracles’ abilities in action, but aside from demonstrating high levels of physical prowess, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. 

_‘I guess I’ll have to watch them play in an official match.’_

\+ + +

“So, you’re officially joining then?” Kiyoshi asked Furihata as he was leaving the gym. 

“…Yeah.” Furihata said. “I will. This was actually pretty fun. Just one thing though…” 

“Hm?”

“Can you ask coach to make sure that I’m not in practice games with Akashi or Nijimura-sempai? I won’t survive the year if I keep running into them.” 

“Sure, that’s doable.” Kiyoshi laughed. 

“Thanks for that. I appreciate it.” Furihata said. “And um…I was just wondering- That is…about you…” 

“I’m the manager for the third string team.” Kiyoshi said. 

“Oh.” Furihata nodded. The Kiyoshi from the original game had been known as a beast on the court, so it was strange that this version of him didn’t seem to play basketball. “I thought so, but…you look like you’d be an amazing player.” 

Kiyoshi smiled. “Riko said I was, so it had to be true…but that’s in the past now.” A somber weight settled into his expression. “You should get going Furihata.” 

Taking the hint, Furihata simply nodded. “Right. See you tomorrow, Kiyoshi-sempai. …I’m glad you convinced me to tryout.” 

Kiyoshi chuckled. “Me too. See you tomorrow.”


	5. Furihata Kouki is Misunderstood

“Hey Furi!” Kawahara called out from across the hallway. He and another first year Fukuda had become friends with Furihata when they realized they were the only first years in the third string team. Kawahara and Fukuda were in class 1B, which was next door to Furihata’s class. 

Furihata waved and jogged over to Kawahara. “You always go to class this early?” 

“Nah, I had to hand in a late assignment before class started, otherwise Kano-sensei was going to give me an F. Why are you here so early?” 

“I wanted to check out the school a bit more. The orientation covered all the major sections of the building, but I noticed a lot of areas it didn’t go into.” 

“Yeah? Find anything cool?” 

“Found a few spots that might be good to just disappear to when I feel like relaxing alone, but other students might already know about them.” 

“Eh, I know a couple spots like that. The school grounds are huge, so you’ll probably find a great solo hangout later on.” 

“Yeah, I didn’t even check out the forest behind the sports field yet-” 

At that moment, a girl walking past Furihata tripped. She cried out as she fell. 

Furihata reacted without thinking, hooking his arm around the girl’s waist to stop her descent. 

The girl blinked when she realized she hadn’t hit the ground. She sighed in relief as she straightened. “T-thank you!” She said softly. “That was a close one.” 

“You’re wel-”

“Get your hands off Miki!” 

_‘Aw shit.’_ Furihata pushed away the girl in his arms and raised his hands as an irate boy stormed towards him. “I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Yeah dude, he just saved Miki!’ Kawahara said. 

“Yeah right! You’re that thirsty new kid who threw himself at Kise, Akashi and Nijimura-san during your first week here!” 

“What did you just- who’s saying that?” Furihata demanded. “That’s not what happened!” 

“What, you just _accidentally_ ran into some of the most popular guys at our school?”

“Yes!”

“That’s obviously a lie! I don’t know why they let you off so easily-”

“Cause those were all accidents!” 

“But I’m going to teach you a lesson-”

“I wasn’t trying anything- because…because I have a boyfriend!” Furihata shouted. _‘As of now.’_

The boy faltered. “What really?” He asked suspiciously. “You weren’t trying to steal my Miki?” 

“Really. I’m not into girls at all.” Furihata said. “I just didn’t want her to get hurt.” 

“It’s true!” Miki chimed in. “All he did was catch me!”

 _‘Speak up earlier!’_ Furihata mentally complained. 

“Oh...um then, thanks for that.” The boy said awkwardly, immediately relaxing. “Sorry for getting the wrong idea.” 

“That’s okay.” Furihata sighed. “But…could you do me a favor? Could you set the record straight if you overhear someone saying that I ‘threw myself’ at those guys? Those are really just rumors.” 

“Sure. See you around Furihata.” 

“Bye Furihata! Thanks again!” Miki waved as left with her boyfriend. 

“Bye.” _‘Who were those people?’_ Furihata wondered. 

“You okay?” Kawahara asked. 

“Yeah…It’s just- I guess I have a reputation already.” Furihata frowned. “Is everyone saying that stuff about me?” 

“Don’t worry about it – those rumors will go away as people get to know you.” Kawahara said. “You should have mentioned your boyfriend earlier.” 

“It’s…complicated.” Furihata said. _‘In that he doesn’t actually exist.’_

“Ah, so it’s like that. Who is he anyway? How’d you get one so fast?” 

“He goes to another school.” Furihata said. 

Kawahara gaped at him. “What- really?” 

“Y-yeah. What’s wrong with that?” 

“I never thought you would be the type to be okay with a long distance relationship. …Actually, I’ve never met anyone like that. Is this an arranged marriage that was decided for you by your parents?” 

“What? No, of course not!” Furihata said, his cheeks colouring. “Just…um…we were dating before I moved and we didn’t want to break up.” 

“Oh, that makes sense. When’s he going to transfer here?” 

“Uh- so, this is a pretty expensive school, so he won’t be. But it’s okay, we can still see each other on the weekends.” 

Kawahara stared at him incredulously. “What, really? That’s…I can’t say I understand it, but I guess everyone is different?” Kawahara said.

“Yep. We’re in a modern relationship. Please tell everyone.” 

“I can do that. You sure you want me to tell everyone about your boyfriend?” 

“Yeah. It’ll help me out a lot.” 

“Okay. I guess it’s pretty tiring to have someone try to kill you every other day.” 

“It really is.” Furihata sighed. But things would hopefully change. At this point, all he wanted was to get through high school in relative peace and graduate with good grades. He could worry about finding the love of his life after that. 

\+ + +

“Furihatachii!” Kise called out, sidling up to his desk as soon as lunch hour started. 

“Hey Kise.” Furihata said. “What’s up?” 

“Nothing really. Just wanted to see how you were doing.” 

“I’m…fine. How are you?” 

“I’m great! Things with Yukio-sempai are amazing. It’s really nice that we go to the same school.”

“That’s good to hear…I’m going to have lunch now.” 

“Let’s have lunch together!”

“What about Kasamatsu-san?” 

“He’s busy today.” Kise sighed. “Besides, it’s not like you had any other plans right?” 

“Well no, but-” 

“Let’s go eat with Kurokochii and Momoichii!” Kise grabbed Furihata’s arm. 

“Hey! I can walk on my own- Kise!” Furihata protested as the boy dragged him along. His attempts to escape the other boy’s grip failed miserably. _‘How is this asshole so damn strong? It’s unnatural and super annoying!’_ Despite Furihata’s struggles, Kise didn’t release him until they were sitting outside with the afore mentioned couple. 

“Hello Furihata-kun.” 

“Hi Furirin!” 

Kuroko and Momoi greeted him calmly as if he hadn’t been forcibly dragged in front of them. 

“Hey. How are you guys?” 

“Great!” Momoi said cheerfully. “How are you doing?” 

“Good…” 

“So I was thinking Furihatachii, we should have a get together after practice some time.” Kise said brightly. 

“Oh yeah?” Furihata asked suspiciously. “Did you drag me out here just to ask that?” 

“It’s one of the reasons. So, party?”

“…Sure, that sounds fun.” 

“Right? I’ll bring Yukio-sempai, and some of the guys from basketball club can come, and I have some really nice friends who are single that I can introduce you to-”

Furihata coughed. “Wai-wha? That’s really nice, but, uh- I can’t…I have a boyfriend already.” 

“Ehh, but could you actually be considered dating?” Kise asked. “It sounds like he isn’t taking the relationship that seriously.” 

_‘Jeez Kawahara, you work fast.’_

“We’re not judging Furirin…but you have to admit it’s a little strange that he didn’t make any plans to transfer here. And you don’t seem really bothered about it either.” 

Furihata paused. “Wait…is this an intervention?” 

“We just want to make sure that you’re not trapped with someone who is not worth your time.” Kuroko said. 

“That’s definitely not the case.” Furihata said. “Transferring somewhere else isn’t that easy when your parents aren’t on board. We’re just high school kids. Also, it’s not really long distance – we see each other on the weekends.” 

“…So no party?” Kise asked. 

“Only if everyone understands that I’m taken.” 

“Fine, we can go for a simple welcoming party.” Kise sighed. “But, if you notice someone cute-”

“Kise, no.”

“I was just saying!” 

\+ + +

“Yo Furi!” Kagami said. He looked a little sheepish. “So, I wanted to talk to you about something…” 

Furihata’s eyes narrowed. “Is this about my boyfriend?” 

“Uh- I…no? I mean- maybe?”

“Is everyone going to be asking me about this today?” Furihata sighed. 

“Yep.” Aomine appeared beside Kagami and slung an arm around his neck. “Cause it’s weird man.”

“It’s not that weird. Is it?” 

“It’s seriously weird.” Kagami said. “Isn’t your boyfriend worried about something happening to you? Doesn’t he want to be around to protect you?” 

“I don’t need protection. Probably. And I’m not trying to go back to where he is. Does that make me a jerk?” 

“Well, that’s different ‘cause…”

“You know me and we’re friends?” When nobody said anything, Furihata smiled. “It’s nice of you guys to care, but there’s nothing to worry about.” 

"Caring is kind of an exaggeration-ug!" Aomine grunted when Kagami's elbow dug into his side. 

“If you say so Furi.” Kagami said hesitantly, looking like he wanted to say more on the matter. “By the way, Kiyoshi-sempai is looking for you.” 

Furihata sighed. 

\+ + +

By fourth period, Furihata was regretting his “brilliant” decision to pretend he had a boyfriend. He certainly felt safer, but in exchange for the peril he had previously faced, he found himself the center of attention wherever he went. The looks he got were either curious, mocking or sympathetic. 

Basketball practice wasn’t much better. Kiyoshi and Fukuda both gave him pep talks and told him that he “could do way better.” Even Kasamatsu gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and said he shouldn’t settle for just anyone right away. 

After Furihata finished his drills, Aida approached him. 

“Coach?” 

“Good hustle Furihata!” Aida gave him an approving nod. “Just know that any decent guy here would love that kind of spirit in a prospective boyfriend.” 

“Oh god.” Furihata mumbled after Aida moved on to coach another club member. 

“Are you okay Furihata-kun?” A voice asked beside him. 

Furihata hiccupped in surprise and laughed. “I should start getting used to you doing that.” 

A faint smile was on Kuroko’s face as he spoke. “You’ll need to develop your senses to at least Satsuki-san’s level.” 

“I’ll surprise you one day.” 

“Anything is possible I suppose. …Are you really okay though, Furihata-kun?” 

“Yeah… everyone’s just been showing that they care. It’s a little annoying, but it’s not like I hate it.” He shrugged. “It’s kinda nice being fussed over…”

“…You’re unexpectedly shy about your feelings, Furihata-kun.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Furihata flushed. “I’m not- I was just- argh, what were we even talking about?” 

“Pft.”

“…Did you just laugh Kuroko?” 

“I’m just glad you’re alright.” 

“Urgh.” Furihata hoped the redness in his cheeks had faded. “Don’t you need to train with your team?” 

“Not at this time. Most of my training is with the third string team since I need a lot of improvement in the basics. My training with the first string is mostly to ensure I can properly synchronize with everyone.”

“Ah, no wonder. That reminds me…I know it’s a weird question, but are Akashi and Nijimura-sempai brothers?” 

Kuroko blinked. “No. They’re dating.” 

“I thought so…but…” Furihata frowned. “Does Akashi have a brother?” 

“No, he’s- ah…actually...” Kuroko paused in thought. “Akashi is an only child, but he does have a ‘brother.’ That’s all I can say about this matter though. You’ll have to ask him directly if you want to know more.” 

“Ugh…That just made things more cryptic! …I guess I’m never going to find out then.” Furihata said. 

“Why not?” 

“Every time I’m in the general vicinity of Akashi or Nijimura-sempai, one of them tries to kill me. So I’m fine with that mystery remaining unsolved.” 

“Ah. That is fair.” 

Furihata felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck. He turned and startled when his eyes met Akashi’s. He whipped his head back around, heart pounding. 

“Furihata-kun?” 

“I think Akashi heard us talking about him.” Furihata said. “Is he still looking over here? Does he look pissed? Should I run?” 

Kuroko looked. He returned Akashi’s stare and raised an eyebrow. 

Akashi didn’t acknowledge his unspoken question and turned away. 

Kuroko hummed in thought. “You can relax Furihata-kun. Akashi-kun isn’t angry.” 

“Really? That’s good.” Furihata sighed. “Maybe he was just wondering why we were talking about him.” 

“Perhaps.” Kuroko said. He doubted that was the reason, but he didn’t want to worry his friend. “In any case, we should get back to practice.” He glanced back at Akashi and was surprised when he caught him looking at them again. _‘Is it possible…?’_ Kuroko stopped to kneel down and pretended he was tightening his shoelaces. His suspicions were confirmed when Akashi’s eyes continued to follow Furihata. 

_‘Oh. That’s interesting.’_


	6. Furihata Kouki is the Life of the Party

“We’re finally done! Everyone’s going to head to my place for your welcoming party after we get ready. You excited Furihatachii?” 

He actually was. A week had passed since Kise promised Furihata a party, and he had been looking forward to it ever since. “I’ll be ready in like 10.” Furihata showered and changed in record time and was one of the first ones outside. 

“Furihata!” Aida waved him over. “You worked really hard today! Was it because you were looking forward to your party, or have you decided to aim for second string?” 

“I’m just having a really good day.” Furihata said happily. “Do you really think I can get into the second string one day?” 

“As long as you keep up the pace you set today.” Aida said. 

“You should also put in some extra shooting practice.” Kiyoshi added. “Your technique needs some improvement.” 

“Got it.” Furihata nodded. 

“Junpei can help you with that.” Aida said. 

“You mean Captain? Would he…be okay with giving me some pointers?” Furihata asked. 

Kiyoshi laughed. “Don’t be intimidated by Junpei. He’s actually pretty happy when he gets asked for tips.” 

“…Really?” 

“Trust me.” Kiyoshi said. “He considers training kouhai as an integral part of his duties as captain of the third string team and as a sempai. It’s a matter of pride for him.” 

“Damn straight.” Hyuuga said as he joined them. “There’s no excuse for slacking. If you need help with something, just ask instead of looking like a clueless moron longer than you have to.” 

“Will do.” Furihata smiled. “You actually sounded pretty cool just now captain.” 

“And that sounded like a jab, first year.” 

“Furihata just didn’t realize how great you actually are.” Kiyoshi said kindly. 

“That’s what you get for frowning all the time. You’ll get premature wrinkles too.” Aida teased. 

“Wrinkles are manly!” Hyuuga retorted. “A smooth, baby-faced grandpa would just be horrifying.” 

“I’d love you regardless.” Kiyoshi winked at him. 

Hyuuga reddened. “Shut up you sap…we’re out in the open.”

“What’s wrong with that?” 

“Everyone can see us!” 

Kiyoshi hooked an arm around Hyuuga’s neck to drag him into his side and threw other arm around Aida’s shoulders, pulling her close as well. It was more obvious then, how massive his frame was compared to theirs. “What’s the big deal? Everyone should know that only I can hold my cute lovers like this.” His usually gentle expression was marred by the lack of warmth in his eyes as they glazed over. “Isn’t it better that more people know? If anyone else tried to touch you…I would have to rip their arms off, even if it meant that I-” 

“Teppei.” Aida said tenderly, blushing in his almost crushing hold. “I love it when you sweet-talk us…” She reached up and pulled his ear until he yelped. “But Junpei is right! You need to think about the time and place you sap!” 

“Alright, alright.” Kiyoshi sighed. He slowly released them, his hands sliding over their skin as his retreated. “You’re both so cold…” 

“I’m just not into PDA, moron.” Hyuuga coughed, looking embarrassed. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t like that side of you.” 

“I got it.” Kiyoshi smiled. 

“Didn’t know they were a thing?” Momoi asked. 

Furihata blinked, realizing he had been staring, and shook his head. “I thought they might just be childhood friends ‘cause they use each other’s’ first names… I also thought Kiyoshi-sempai was the calmest one on our team.” 

“Well…I’d still say he’s one of the nicest and most understanding people I know.” Momoi said. “He just has specific triggers that make him explode. That’s pretty normal though, don’t you think? Everyone has a button that shouldn’t be pressed.” 

“That’s true.” Furihata glanced at his phone, wondering when Kise would be ready. 

“Ah, if you’re wondering about Ki-chan…it’s probably going to be a while. He has a specific beauty routine that needs to be done after every practice.” 

“Maybe he’ll be quicker than usual today?” 

“Hmm- want to bet a popsicle on it?” 

An hour later, Furihata owed Momoi a popsicle. Kise was one of the last ones out of the change room. By then, more than a few of his teammates and some classmates that had also been invited, were grumbling about having to wait for him. 

“Finally!” Aomine groaned loudly, echoed by others when Kise appeared. 

“Shut up! It takes a long time to look this good!” Kise said, gesturing to himself. He looked at Mibuchi for support. “Right Reo-nee?” 

The tall, beautiful black-haired boy nodded. “Absolutely. Beauty has to be cultivated and carefully maintained every day.” 

“And my boyfriend needs to be fed every hour.” Aomine said. “Let’s go!” 

\+ + +

Kise’s house was _huge_. Even if he was living there with his parents and 2 sisters, it was an impressive space. When Furihata mentioned this to Kise, he simply laughed and said, “you should see Akashichii’s place.” 

“I’ll just take your word for it…” Furihata said. Even if there was a party for him there, he wouldn’t ever go. 

Once everyone was gathered in his spacious living room, Kise spoke. “K, ground rules guys- stay in the living room and feel free to hang out in my backyard. Don’t go through the other rooms. The washroom is at the end of that hall on the left.” Kise pointed. “The food and drinks for us are over there. Let me know if we’re running low on anything and I’ll have some more put out. Don’t go rummaging through the kitchen. Also, this party’s for Furihata, so you all better show him some love!” 

Everyone in the room cheered and about five different elbows playfully jostled Futihata’s sides, while another ten hands messed up his hair. Furihata laughed as he swatted them all away. “Thanks Kise!” He called out. “This is awesome!” 

“Of course it is – I set it up!”

“You’re the best Ki-chan!” Momoi cheered. Some of the guys whooped in agreement. Taking this as a sign that the party had started, everyone dispersed. Most of the guests headed to the buffet table, which had an impressive spread. Kagami had already grabbed two plates of food, followed by Aomine who was also holding two plates while complaining loudly. “Slow down asshole, one of these are yours!” 

“Aren’t you going to eat, Furihata-kun?” 

Furihata jumped. “Kuroko! Where did you come from?” 

“I was always here.” 

_‘Oh riiight - now I remember!’_ In the original game _Mad Love at Dorosera High School_ , Kuroko had had the mysterious ability to move around undetected like a ghost. The game explained it as the result of his ‘lack of presence,’ but it had really been a supernatural ability. No matter how skilled, a normal human could never ‘disappear’ the way Kuroko did. _‘I guess that means everyone else still has their original superpowers.’_ Furihata thought. He frowned. _‘…And out of all the characters, I just had to reincarnate as cannon fodder with no powers whatsoever. Good job, me.’_

“I’m waiting until there’s fewer people at the buffet table. What about you?” Furihata asked, noticing Kuroko’s hands were empty. 

“Same as you.” 

“Tetsu-kun!” Momoi called out. “I got some food for us!” 

“Oh! You didn’t need to do that Satsuki-san…” Kuroko glanced at Furihata. 

“I was about to check out the hall, so it’s good timing.” Furihata said. Kuroko nodded and went to his girlfriend. 

Furihata walked quickly. In truth, all the water and juice he had consumed during and after practice was taking its toll and he had been waiting for the first opportunity to slip away to the washroom. 

“Stop it! I’m not interested.” 

Despite his hurry, Furihata stopped in his tracks. He crept closer to the door he had heard the voice come from. 

“Why? I really like you and I’ll take care of you. I’ll kill anyone that tries to hurt you.” 

“Let go- you’re the one that’s hurting me right now!” 

Alarmed, Furihata pushed open the door and walked in. 

“Hey!” He recognized the pair. Yamane was an irregular member of their basketball club and Sato was in Furihata’s class. Yamane had Sato pinned against the wall and was now glaring at Furihata. “You’re that first year…Furinaga.” 

“It’s Furihata.” He looked at Sato. “Do you need help?” 

Sato’s eyes widened. “Y-yeah…if that’s okay?”

“This is none of your business.” Yamane snarled. “Leave us alone.” 

“It is my business, because I’m here now and Sato said he needed my help.” Furihata said. 

“I _love_ him! That’s all that matters!” 

“The fact that you can ignore Sato’s feelings means that you don’t love him that much.” Furihata said. 

“Shut up! You really are a slut, aren’t you? Everyone’s talking about how you’ve been throwing yourself at all the popular guys in our club. You’re doing this because you want Sato for yourself! That’s why you don’t give a shit about your boyfriend being somewhere else.” 

“That’s so wrong, I don’t even know where to start.” Furihata said. “Look, I get that it sucks to be rejected, but you can’t force yourself on someone to make them like you.” He shivered and one of his legs shook. 

“What’s wrong with you? Yamane frowned at him. 

“N-nothing. Let’s just get back to the party okay? This really isn’t cool.” 

“Get lost Furihata. I’m serious.” Yamane growled. “Otherwise you’re going to regret it.” 

“I’m not leaving without Sato.” 

“He’s mine!” Yamane charged at Furihata. 

_‘Shit.’_ Furihata avoided the lumbering tackle easily and ran deeper into the room. He looked around to get an idea of the room’s layout. 

Regaining his footing, Yamane fumbled around until he grabbed the lamp stand near the door. He smashed its round glass top against a nearby wall to turn it into a circle of jagged teeth. He stomped into the room. 

From the corner of his eye, Furihata noticed Sato slip out. 

Yamane rushed at Furihata again, intending to run the broken glass into him. Furihata pivoted sideways to let the spear glance past his chest and leaped at Yamane. Unprepared for a counterattack, Yamane clumsily tried to hit Furihata’s side. As he didn’t have enough momentum for strong a horizontal swing, the attack amounted to barely a tap. This also left him wide open for Furihata, who punched him in the throat. 

“Urk!” Yamane went down like a stone, choking and gasping. 

“Damn Furi!” Kagami whistled. “That was pretty badass.” 

“Huh?” Furihata turned and found a crowd had gathered by the door. “When did you all get here?” 

“Around the time you displaced Yamane’s vocal chords.” Kise said. “Sato told us what happened and we were coming over to help. Looks like you didn’t need it though.” 

“That shithead interrupted me and Sato!” Yamane wheezed angrily. He coughed. 

“From what Sato said, you’re the shithead.” Kasamatsu said coldly. “Also, you’d better pay for that lamp.” 

“What?” 

“You’re also getting kicked out of the basketball club.” Aida said. “You should know better.” 

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Yamane protested. “I didn’t do anything wrong!” 

“You can’t just have someone because you want them. They have to love you back and want the same things.” Aida said sternly. 

Yamane pressed his lips in a tight line, shaking his head in disbelief. Well aware that he couldn’t take out his anger on anyone without risking another fight he couldn’t win, he got up and left without saying anything. 

“Alright, let’s get back to the party!” Kise said cheerfully, pushing everyone around him back towards the living room. 

Fukuda walked up to Furihata and bumped his shoulder. “How did you end up getting into a brawl at your own welcoming party?” He asked. 

“Haha…just my luck I guess.” Furihata said. 

“Thanks again Furihata.” Sato pushed his way through the crowd. “That was really nice of you. If you want-”

Furihata shivered. “Sorry- I can’t hold it anymore!” He rushed out, leaving Sato staring after him speechlessly.

Also stunned by the abrupt exit, it took a few moments for Fukuda to think of something to say. “Um…he has a boyfriend anyway.” He said, awkwardly patting Sato’s shoulder to console him. 

\+ + +

When Furihata returned, Fukuda waved him over. “Jeez, you’re lucky you already have a boyfriend. You’re so oblivious.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Never mind.” He shook his head and held out a plate filed high with everything from the buffet table. “Here, for you. Eat up Furi!” 

“Thanks Fukuda.” He grinned. “There’s no way I can eat all this…” 

“You say that now, but everything tastes amazing.” Fukuda pointed at a table set up near the glass doors leading into the backyard. “We can sit over there.” 

“Okay.” Furihata walked to one of the empty seats at the table and sat down. He looked around expectantly, waiting for Fukuda to join him. 

“Hello Furihata.” 

Furihata supressed a scream. _‘Why is he here?’_ He inwardly panicked. “H-hi Akashi. Is this seat taken? I see - I’m sorry, I’ll go-”

“It isn’t. Have a seat. This party is for you to enjoy yourself.” 

“Right.” Unable to think of a reason to decline, Furihata sat down. He glanced around until he caught sight Fukuda, who looked like he was in an intense debate with someone. He had thrown his arms up in the air and was shouting, “what are you talking about, Emi-chan is the best character in War of the Eight Kingdoms!”

 _'I guess I’m on my own.’_

Furihata’s eyes kept going to all the forks and chopsticks on the table, wondering if he would be fast enough to dodge if Akashi tried to use his head as a pin cushion. Sweating a little, he slowly picked up a piece of fried chicken and took a small bite, keeping his eyes on Akashi. 

“You were quite impressive back there. You clearly have a lot of control in your movements.” Furihata inhaled abruptly and nearly choked on his food. 

_‘Did he just compliment me? Is he just messing with me? Trying to make me lower my guard? Why did I sit here?’_ “T-thanks. It’s from years of practice. My parents wanted to make sure I’d be ready for almost anything so I’d make it to graduation.” 

“They put a lot of care into your upbringing and it shows.” 

“Thanks…” Furihata’s eyes dropped bashfully. He took a sip of his drink to ease the awkwardness he felt. 

“Judging by his glowing praises of you, Sato would be receptive to becoming your boyfriend if you asked.” 

Furihata spat out his drink. “W-wha?” He coughed. “I’m not- he’s not- where did that even come from?” 

“Why else would you help him? You wouldn’t benefit otherwise.” 

“…I just helped out because I could.” 

“You’re quite strange, Furihata.” 

“It’s everyone else that’s a little strange.” Furihata said. A small ache formed in his chest as he thought about his old world. He was used to everyone’s sociopathic ways. If he was being honest, he had become a little crazy himself, having grown up in this world. That didn’t stop him from yearning for how peaceful and even boring his old life had been though. 

“I’ve never heard anyone say something like that without a hint of irony.” 

“Cause I was being serious. People should help each other just because they can.” 

It was Akashi’s turn to be surprised and he regarded Furihata critically. “Even if you get hurt in the process?’ 

“I’m a coward, so I’d only help if I knew I’d be fine.” Furihata said. 

A small grin appeared on Akashi’s face. “You didn’t seem like one earlier.” 

“Well, it might have been a little conceited, but I was pretty sure I could beat Yamane. He never finishes his drills and he skips every other practice.” 

“I suppose that was a safe bet.” 

“You two are getting awfully cozy.” 

Furihata jumped up immediately, his back ramrod straight as he faced Nijimura. “Nope, nope and never. Akashi was just telling me that he thought I was a weirdo. And on that note, I’m going to get some meat before Kagami finishes everything. Bye Nijimura-sempai.” He scuttled off, abandoning his plate. 

“I was just joking…” Nijimura said. “Though his nervousness makes me wonder if there’s anything I should be worried about?” 

Akashi shook his head, still looking amused. “I was simply learning more about Furihata. He’s really interesting. And a little funny.”

“Funny ‘haha,’ or funny ‘adorable’?” 

“Now you’re being funny.” 

“Maybe it’s because even I’ve noticed his charm.” 

Akashi’s smile faded a little. He took his chopsticks and gracefully picked up some meat from his plate. He held it out to Nijimura who automatically ate it. It was a practiced gesture between them that barely required any thought. 

Akashi leaned closer to Nijimura as he chewed his mouthful of food. “You already have your sights set on someone.” He murmured lowly, so no one else could hear. To everyone else observing, it looked like a show of playful intimacy between lovers. “There’s no need for your attention to wander.” 

“Jealous already?” Nijimura smiled innocently. “Furihata may not be interested in Sato, but he is still already spoken for.” 

“By some undeserving fool who isn’t here.” Akashi said. “He might as well not exist.” 

“Even so, he is obviously scared of you.” 

Akashi’s eyes narrowed minutely. “I was working on that until you interrupted.” 

“Isn’t that the role I’m meant to play?” 

“It has become unnecessary.” 

Nijimura feigned hurt. “How fickle your heart is Seijuurou! Throwing me away for someone younger!” 

“You’ve been spending too much time with Kise.” 

“It gets a certain someone’s attention when I do.” Nijimura said. “He may not admit to feeling jealous, but it’s obvious enough. Never mind about me though. My love story is on track. Meanwhile, you’re pining for someone you fell for after almost killing him.” 

“Now you’re fabricating nonsense.” 

“Really? You seem to be a little distracted nowadays whenever a certain someone is nearby.” 

“You’re imagining things.” Akashi glared at him, but he couldn’t hide the slight flush in his cheeks. 

“Oh of course, my mistake dear.” Nijimura finally stopped his teasing, but continued to direct a knowing look at him. 

Akashi ignored him in favor of looking outside. Furihata was chatting and laughing with some of his teammates. The soft outdoor lighting gave his skin a warm glow and illuminated his eyes. Akashi recalled Furihata’s expression, sharp with intent as he struck down his opponent. His stomach fluttered. He tore his gaze away and concentrated on the other party attendees instead.

He settled on watching Midorima. The tall green-haired boy was sitting primly on a deck chair and occasionally responding to Takao’s enthusiastic chatter. It was obvious to everyone except for Midorima that Takao was trying to get his affections across via not-so-subtle signals. 

“Another poor soul like you.” Nijimura chuckled. 

Akashi grimaced. _‘I’m not pining.’_ He thought, unable to resist when his attention was captured by Furihata yet again.


	7. Furihata Kouki has a Target on his Back

Fifth period was self defense and kill tactics. Furihata had missed the first half of the year at Dorosera, but his previous school’s curriculum had been similar enough for him dive right in. 

Today’s class was on techniques for hitting moving targets. After pairing off, the students threw baseball-sized rubber balls at their partner, who would do their best to dodge. When thrown with enough force, the balls did hurt whenever they made contact, but no one had ever gotten more than a bruise from them. 

Ito, their instructor, observed the students and occasionally gave advice on how to improve their accuracy or agility. He stopped when he got to Kawahara who had yet to hit Furihata. 

“Try not to pull your arm back so far for each throw, Kawahara-san. You’re wasting a lot of energy with your large movements and telegraphing where you’ll be throwing.” Ito said. He picked up a ball from the bucket next to Kawahara. “The more subtle your movements, the less likely your target will be able-” 

“Ow!” Furihata winced when he couldn’t quite move out of the way of Ito’s throw and the ball ricocheted off his shoulder. 

“-to predict your movements.” Ito finished smoothly. “That was quite splendid Furihata-san. I was aiming for your heart and you managed to get hit in an area with no major organs.” 

“Thanks!” 

“You would also benefit from smaller, more efficient movements that allow you to keep moving or transition into an attack.” Ito said approvingly. “With more practice you’ll be a formidable opponent, even for seasoned professionals.”

He moved onto the next pair and shook his head. “Calm down Hayashi-san, and just do your best. Sensing Kuroko-san requires techniques from advanced classes…” 

“Ito-sensei is amazing. I barely even saw him move and he still threw so hard.” Furihata rubbed his shoulder. 

“Yeah, there’s rumors he’s ex-Yakuza.” Kawahara said. 

Furihata laughed. “I think those are just rumors. Kise told me he was a retired assassin, and Kagami heard he was ex-military. He might just be an ordinary guy.” 

“Switch!” Ito called out. 

“My turn!” Furihata said cheerfully. He and Kawahara switched spots. He picked up a ball and immediately chucked it at his friend. 

“Ow!” Kawahara yelped as the ball hit his thigh. “Are _you_ secretly ex-military?” 

“Maybe I just got lucky? Only one way to find out.” Furihata grinned. He ended up hitting Kawahara only about 72% of the time. He attributed his misses to the fact that Kawahara started hopping about in absurd poses and making silly faces that made Furihata laugh too hard to concentrate. 

Furihata yelped when a ball bounced off his back. 

“Sorry about that. My throw went off course.” 

He froze when Akashi walked over. “O-oh? That’s okay. It was an accident. Right? Right.” Furihata asked and answered for him. He began to fidget when Akashi didn’t move. “Um…did you need something?” 

“Is your shoulder okay?” 

“My shoulder? Oh! Yeah. You saw that?” Furihata laughed a little. “That was pretty badass right? I want to be as good as Ito-sensei one day.” 

“He is an adequate instructor.” 

“Better than adequate. His class is part of the reason my parents wanted me to transfer here. I already knew he was great, but seeing him in action is amazing!” Furihata gushed, eyes shining. 

Akashi’s brow furrowed and Furihata stiffened nervously. He noticed then, that one of Akashi’s eyes was gold – like when they had first met. _‘Am I imagining it, or is that normal for him? It would be rude if I asked about it, right? I wish I got a chance to play through his route! At least I would have a better idea of what I’m dealing with.’_

“Well, uh-” Furihata looked around. He picked up a ball from the ground. “Here. I don’t know where yours went, but you can take this one.” 

Akashi’s expression relaxed as he took the ball. The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Thank you, Kouki.” 

“Kou-!” Furihata choked when Akashi pinned him with a questioning look. “That’s not- it's too- you know, and we’re not really…” He trailed off under the weight of Akashi’s blank stare and sighed in defeat. “You’re welcome, I guess.” 

“See you at practice.” Akashi said as he walked away. 

“What was that about?” Kawahara asked when Furihata turned back to him. 

“I have no idea.” Furihata said. 

\+ + +

A pink envelope was sitting on Furihata’s desk when he returned from self defence and kill tactics class. He frowned as he picked it up. 

“Woah! You got a love letter!” Kise exclaimed, running over excitedly and leaning over Furihata’s shoulder. “Does it say who it’s from?” 

Kuroko and Momoi approached as well, looking equally curious. From his peripheral vision, Kuroko noticed Akashi’s eyes flicker towards them. _‘You’re being awfully obvious, Akashi-kun.’_

Furihata stared at the blank pink envelope. He looked around, but no one seemed to be looking at him to gauge his reaction. He carefully sliced the top open with his pocket knife and pulled out the letter to scan the contents. “No, it doesn’t say. They want to meet right after classes end today though.” 

“Are you going to see them?” 

“Yeah.” Furihata said. “It’s better if I let them down in person.” 

“Are you sure?” Kuroko asked. “Maybe we should go with you.” 

“Nah, it’ll be okay.” Furihata said. “I doubt it’s a serious crush.” 

“It probably isn’t…” Momoi said. “The penmanship is horrible and there’s a lot of words misspelled. I don’t think this person put much effort into writing this.” 

“You never know. It could be a failing student who watched you from afar and fell in love. They might get desperate if you reject them.” Kise said. 

“Are you speaking from experience?” Furihata asked half-jokingly. 

“Yeah, like every other confession I get usually ends up as a failed kidnapping attempt.” 

“Stopping overzealous admirers is an essential part of Kasamatsu-san’s workout routine.” Kuroko added dryly. “He bulked up pretty quickly after he started dating Kise-kun.” 

“How sweet. But you’re a popular model. No one’s going to be that interested in me.” Furihata said. 

“I guess not.” Kise shrugged. 

\+ + +

When class was dismissed for the day, Furihata packed up his bag and headed to the meeting spot specified in the love letter. 

It was out on the east side of the building for third year students. Furihata arrived five minutes ahead of the meetup time. He glanced around, but didn’t see anyone nearby. _‘Maybe this is just a prank?’_

There was a loud crash above him. Furihata instinctively dove out of the way. A desk slammed into the ground where he had just been standing, followed by a rain of glass shards. 

He stared speechlessly at the pile of broken metal, wood and glass before him. “What the fuck!” _‘Who throws a whole desk out a window? Isn’t it usually a flower pot? This was literally overkill!'_

“Furihata-kun!” Kuroko rushed over. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah…it missed me. …Why are you here?”

“I was concerned your admirer wouldn’t take your rejection well.” He looked at the broken desk and scattered glass. “…I see they did not.” 

“I think the love letter was actually just an excuse to get me here.” Furihata said. 

“Did you see who it was?”

“No, I was a little distracted by the desk flying at my head.” 

A faint smile flashed briefly across Kuroko’s face. He held his hand out. “Your sense of humor is still intact, so you must be okay.” 

Furihata hesitated, then tentatively took the offered hand. Kuroko pulled him to his feet with strength that was surprising for his small wiry frame. “Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome. Can you think of who might have done this?” 

“I did piss off Yamane last week.” 

“He would be an obvious suspect.” 

“Oh right- and…there was this guy throwing rocks at a cat in a tree the other day, so I told him to stop.” 

“Why would he want to kill you for that?” 

“He wouldn’t stop, so I asked again. With my fists.” 

“…Alright. So there are two possibilities.”

“Well…”

Kuroko stare became heavier. “Who else is there?” 

“A couple students were ganging up on someone, so I dropped water on them from the second floor- but that’s it, really!”

“Furihata-kun…” 

“I know, I know..." Furihata said. "I'm a dumbass." 

Kuroko’s expression softened. “I don’t think of you so negatively.” 

“Really?” 

He nodded. “It’s refreshing to see someone so recklessly caring.” 

“Ehh- that didn’t sound like a compliment…” Furihata complained. “You pretty much just agreed with me!” 

“Pft.” Kuroko turned his head to hide his chuckle. 

“Kuroko!” 

“We should get to practice.” Kuroko’s face had returned to its usual blankness, though his eyes still glimmered with amusement. “We should let the others know what happened so they can keep an eye out for you as well.” 

\+ + +

“Someone tried to kill you again? Is this a normal thing for you?” Koganei asked. 

“It wasn’t before I transferred.” Furihata grumbled. “It’s insane here.” 

“You’re insane.” Kawahara said. “Like, why make life harder for yourself by getting mixed up in other people’s shit?” 

“Eh.” Furihata shrugged. “Maybe an ass kicking or two will convince a few jerks to be nicer.” 

“Listen man.” Kawahara said sternly, putting a hand on Furihata’s shoulder. “You know you’re not actually a protagonist in a shounen manga, right? If you piss someone off and they stab you a bunch of times, you won’t be able to just walk away from it with a power up!” 

“I’m not delusional. Of course I know that.” Furihata said seriously. “…but maybe if I start doing 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 squats and a 10 k run every day-”

“Take this more seriously Furi!” Kawahara wailed. “I want to graduate with all my friends on stage!” 

“It’s not like I’m trying to die...” Furihata sighed. “I’ll try to be more careful though.” 

“In case you do attract more trouble though, you should develop your endurance.” Aida said happily. “And there’s no better place to start than doing some cardio. Time to do some laps!” 

There was a collective groan from all the boys in the gym, but they all complied right away. 

\+ + +

“Running a little slowly today.” Nijimura grinned knowingly. 

Akashi didn’t answer, but Nijimura took pleasure in how his eyes narrowed slightly. He had managed to get a rise out of him, even if it was subtle. 

Akashi kept his face composed as he took in the sight of Furihata’s back. There was something exciting about running behind the other boy, with the confidence that he would easily be able to catch up to him at any time. Realizing he was becoming too engrossed in his idle thought, Akashi forced himself to think about the merciless teasing he would endure if Nijimura noticed the direction of his thoughts. He would have to speed up to avoid rousing suspicion. 

Furihata moved to the left when he heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. A cold arm brushed against his. “Hey- Ak!” His complaints died on his tongue when he realized who it was. He shivered under the force of Akashi’s intense stare as he passed. _‘What did I do? Is he still mad about me bumping into Nijimura-sempai? How long is he going to hold that grudge for?’_ Furihata despaired. 

Nijimura winked at Furihata as he passed, only serving to increase his confusion. 

“Hey Furi, did you accidentally bump into Nijimura-sempai again?” Kawahara asked. “Akashi looked pissed…” 

“I haven’t done anything!” Furihata said. “I think he’s still mad about the first time I did that. Nijimura-sempai seems to be fine with me though.” 

“That’s really scary. Akashi’s the last person I would want coming after me.” 

“It’s the worst.” Furihata said. “Maybe I should ask Ito-sensei if he has supplementary classes I could join.” 

\+ + +

After drills and cooldown, the students were divided into groups based on which skills they needed improvement in. Furihata, unsurprisingly, was in the group for shooting practice. Standing at the free throw line, he took a deep breath and dribbled the ball a couple times. The hoop was just a stationary target in clear view. He raised the ball above his head and released it into a perfect arc- 

“Air ball!” Koganei crowed, as the ball missed the hoop entirely. 

“You’ll get it eventually.” Kuroko said encouragingly. 

“Damnit.” Furihata sighed, slumping. “I’m so bad at this…” 

“You’re so good at hitting moving targets. How is something that’s just hanging there completely beyond you?” Kawahara asked. 

“I don’t know! It’s just different! I wouldn’t throw a knife in an arc if I was trying to hit something.” 

“You’re overthinking it.” Hyuuga walked over. “Also, your form is awful.” 

“How should I stand?” 

“Widen your stance a little, tuck your elbows in, focus on your target, not the ball and your shooting hand has to be- no, here-” Hyuuga put his hands on Furihata’s sides to adjust his posture, and arranged his arms slightly. “Okay, that looks better.” Hyuuga paused and looked over Furihata’s shoulder. “What is it?” He barked out. 

Furihata turned around and jolted when he saw Akashi a few feet away, glaring at them. 

“W-what’s wrong?” Furihata asked nervously. Had he inadvertently been standing next to Nijimura and breathing the same air as him? No- Nijimura was standing a small distance behind Akashi, looking amused. Furihata wracked his brain for what he could have done to piss off Akashi, but nothing came to mind. 

“If you’ve got nothing to say, then you should get back to your group.” Hyuuga said. 

Akashi’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything and strode away to join his teammates. 

“What’s his problem?” Hyuuga asked. 

“Did something happen?” Kuroko asked. “Akashi-kun seems very interested in you these days, Furihata-kun.” 

“I don’t know why.” Furihata said glumly. “I’ve been keeping my distance, but it’s like he’s determined to hate me."

“He’s just a moron then.” Hyuuga patted Furihata’s back. “Don’t let it bother you. Everyone else knows you’re a great guy.” 

“Thanks sempai.” Furihata glanced at Akashi and whipped his head away when their eyes met. He swallowed hard. _‘As if I needed another target on my back.’_


End file.
